Chapter 72: Regarding Elemental Spirits, Perhaps We Can Discuss
Mervant shot through the passageways with Calidora in his arms.
Behind them, several deformed earthwalker giants, accompanied by a horde of soldiers, were in hot pursuit.
Guoguo ran alongside them, occasionally shooting explosive arrows behind in an attempt to slow the pursuers with the blasts.
Unfortunately, this had little effect.
Those deformed giants were incredibly tough. They didn't bother to dodge the arrows and just charged through the explosions.
"Ugh… It's no use, we can't shake them off," Guoguo groaned in exasperation, on the verge of tears, though her hands were still moving rapidly. She had already been in a poor state of mind when they were inside the tower, and it was even worse now.
"Don't panic. I've found a suitable route. We're going to speed up," Mervant said, spreading his wings. He grabbed Guoguo by the scruff of her neck and flew up, diving into the small opening of a nearby building.
This opening was too tight for the earthwalker giants to squeeze through and high enough to delay the soldiers considerably…
This had been Mervant's intent.
The trio barely landed and hadn't yet caught their breaths when they saw the soldiers behind leap up towards the opening like a swarm of fleas.However, they crashed into the walls and tumbled back down.
Seeing this, the glow in Calidora's eyes faded and she let out a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, while she couldn't directly confuse them, disorienting their vision was still doable.
With some time bought, Mervant seized the opportunity, following the passageways and heading deeper into the building.
Guoguo shot an arrow directly upward, causing the rock above to collapse and block the entrance.
As the rocks tumbled down, she took one last lingering look outside and prayed silently.
Little Yaine, I hope you'll be alright…
Then, she turned around and hurriedly followed after Mervant.
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Baam!
With a final punch, the last Earthwalker soldier was knocked out, and the entire troop lay defeated.
Liu Ji looked around at the corpses all around and swallowed hard.
Perhaps because these Earthwalkers looked unusual or because this scene was less gruesome compared to his first kill, though Liu Ji felt uncomfortable, he at least didn't feel like retching.
"Well done," Yaine said, exhaling sharply as she reached Liu Ji's side. "I had no idea that you could fight so well."
"Ah, well, Mr. Myza taught me a few tricks," Liu Ji replied, scratching his head sheepishly.
While the outcome was impressive, Liu Ji's fighting had been somewhat clumsy.
He had no formal combat training and relied purely on his physical toughness, which made his moves far from elegant.
"Still, we've made quite a scene, and the others haven't shown up…" Yaine clicked her tongue in annoyance as she gazed at the maze of enclosed buildings. "Now that we are separated under such circumstances, finding won't be easy."
"Yeah, going around in circles trying to find each other would be the worst." Liu Ji nodded. "How about we straight up seek out the boss? Who knows, we might meet up with the others there."
"Boss?" Yaine was puzzled by the term that wasn't in incantation.
"Ah, sorry. Um, let me think… I mean, we should find the leaders of this place and take them down," Liu Ji clarified.
"Huh?" Yaine was surprised. Usually, in such situations, people would only think of escaping, but Liu Ji suggested the opposite.
However, she could understand his line of reasoning.
The now sealed-up tower they had been in was just beside them, and the horrific scenes they saw were still fresh in their minds. Both Yaine and Liu Ji wanted to find and eliminate the mastermind behind all this.
Moreover, Yaine had many questions about this place, such as who built it and why the soldiers resembled the Tyrant's lackeys…
Most important of all, running away didn't guarantee safety.
Distance to the surface was indeterminate, and the long spiral staircase was too risky. If ambushed there, they could be trapped or the staircase could be destroyed, leaving them in a dire situation.
In comparison, attacking the enemy's stronghold seemed like a much better option. At least this way, they had some control over their fate.
Eyeing the corpse of the earthwalker giant, Yaine made up her mind. "Alright, let's do as you say, but…"
She glanced up and sighed. "But first, we need to find a path…"
"Oh, I have an idea," Liu Ji suggested. "Maybe we don't need to find a path. Since this place is circular, we could just break through the walls toward the center."
"Good idea, but these walls aren't that easy to break." Yaine smiled wryly. "These walls are magical constructs with high-densities of elemental spirits. The activity of breaking through one layer will attract a great deal of enemies, not to mention we have no means of knowing how many layers are behind it."
"Hmm? Elemental spirits?" Liu Ji rubbed his chin in deliberation as he scrutinized the wall. After a moment, he mused, "If it's elemental spirits… Oh, right, Yaine, can you summon earth elemental spirits?"
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Before the shrine, the priest stared at the labyrinth, his face twitching.
He could sense that the maze had trapped those foolish outsiders within. However, they weren't dead or captured, and not a single one was hurt.
On the contrary, his army had suffered heavy losses. A giant taken down, and a battalion wiped out.
This represented half a year's worth of military output, so his fury was well imaginable.
"Damned outsiders," he cursed, gripping his staff so hard the veins on his arm was near bursting.
But then, he relaxed his grip.
The tenacity of these outsiders proved their worth as nourishment.
The army has been expanding all these years… It's also now about time to produce stronger units.
With this thought in mind, he shut his eyes and chanted what seemed to be a series of incantations but was actually something more cryptic.
As he chanted, three stone coffins rose up in front of the shrine.
The priest tapped his staff on the ground, and the lids came off, revealing three figures.
On either side stood two warriors clad in gray armor and draped in white cloaks. One held a long spear, the other a sword and shield. Their expressions were solemn, their movements exuding the unmistakable aura of seasoned fighters.
The figure in the central coffin, though, was different. As soon as the lid came off, an overwhelming pressure filled the air, and even the priest found it hard to breathe.
The figure was encased in black armor, with a striking red cloak flowing behind him. On his back, he carried a menacing greatsword, radiating an aura of death and destruction.
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Meanwhile, on the other side of the desert.
The Tyrant, who was in the sky pursuing after the Tianyu race, suddenly sensed something. He tilted his head slightly, casting a glance toward the direction of the desert.
But it had only been for a moment, and he sensed nothing else after.
Am I mistaken… While musing, he casually tore the winged Tianyu woman in his grasp in half.
Never mind, I'll deal with it after finishing off these bird people.
He drew his sword and continued his relentless pursuit of the fleeing Tianyu race.